


Costs Nothing But Time, Worth a Lot More

by Diary



Category: Glee
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Angst, Bechdel Test Fail, Bottle Episode Fic, Conversations, Disturbing Themes, Gen, Locker Room Setting, POV Azimio Adams, POV Character of Color, POV Male Character, Post-Episode: s03e14 On My Way, Season/Series 03, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 14:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6083142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Repost. “Whatever,” Chang says. He starts to bandage the knuckles, and Azimio twitches at the itchiness of the scratchy material covered in stinging ointment soaking into blood. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Costs Nothing But Time, Worth a Lot More

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Glee.

He’s been hitting the bag with his bare knuckles for ten minutes, and he can feel the way the blood comes out and smell it’s metallic properties.

Everything spins, and he takes a step back and gropes for the wall.

Suddenly, Mike Chang is in front of him, and by the look on his face, he’s been watching.

Not saying anything, Chang grabs his wrist, leads him to a bench, and pushes him down.

He watches Chang retrieve stuff from Beiste’s medical cabinet.

Sitting down in Beiste’s chair and bringing his hands up, Chang warns, “This’ll sting.”

It does sting, and he closes his eyes.

“He’s not my friend, and he should have died.”

“Whatever,” Chang says. He starts to bandage the knuckles, and Azimio twitches at the itchiness of the scratchy material covered in stinging ointment soaking into blood.

“You and Evans tried to beat him up.”

“No regrets from us,” Chang answers. “Karofsky was terrorising Kurt, and we were protecting our friend. It doesn’t mean either of us are happy this happened.”

The bandaging is done, and Chang says, “Here.”

Opening his eyes, he sees Chang is holding out two aspirins. He takes them and dry-swallows.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“Yeah,” Chang answers. “At the beginning of every year, you put a picture of a stuffed dog in your locker. It’s the same one you got at the fair in the sixth grade. Karofsky gave it to you, didn’t he?”

“I’m not gay.”

“I give my friends’ mothers a present on Mother’s Day, and I’m not, either,” Chang replies. “I bet you still have that picture, and I bet, at night, you hold that dog and cry. But even if I’m wrong, me taking fifteen minutes to help you hasn’t cost me anything.”

Looking away, he doesn’t reply.

“Take care of yourself, Azimio,” Chang says with a pat on the shoulder.

He hears the chair rolling away. 

The footsteps get further away, and he takes a breath.

“He was supposed to be my best friend. I told him important things, things I wouldn’t trust most people with, and he couldn’t even tell me-”

No matter how hard he rubs, the tears won’t stop, and he bites his tongue to keep sound from escaping.

Jumping slightly at the feel of hands on his shoulders, he relaxes after a minute.

“That he was gay?”

“Is,” he snaps. “And- I would have dealed. How am I supposed to deal with the fact he wanted to leave forever? No goodbye, no note, just, one night I’m IMing him, and the next day-”

Everything breaks, and he vaguely hears the noises he’s making and feels arms around him.

Once, he broke down in front of K, and he felt tentative arms around him, then. It was awkward, but it did secretly make things a little better. Some part of him wishes he’d found a way to tell K back then. He wonders if he’d ever done this, when K was going psycho against Hummel or something, if it would have meant his best friend wouldn’t have tried to leave in the most permanent way ever.

Coming back to himself a little, he feels Chang rubbing his back, like his mama sometimes does, and he almost snaps, but like K wrapping his arms around him, it is helping some.

“Come on.” Chang helps him stand. “Do you want to go to the nurse or Ms Pillsbury?”

“The nurse,” he answers.

“Okay,” Chang says.      


End file.
